Timing chain and fuel pump drive, lubricating means



Oct. 6, 1959 c. B. LEACH 2,907,411

TIMING CHAIN AND FUEL PUMP DRIVE, LUBRICATING MEANS Original Filed June 17, 1954 4 sham-sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY TIMING CHAIN AND FUEL PUMP DRIVE, LUBRICATING MEANS Original Filed June 17, 1954 C. B. LEACH Oct. 6, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO RN E Y 00L 6, 1959 B, L 2,907,411

TIMING CHAIN AND FUEL PUMP DRIVE, LUBRICATING MEANS Original Filed June 17, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 lllll D INVENTOII' ATTORNEY Y 62' for? $962205 1 Oct. 6, 1959 c. B. LEACH Y TIMING CHAIN AND FUEL PUMP DRIVE, LUBRICATING MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed June 17, 1954 ATTORNEY TIMING CHAIN AND FUEL PUMP hm, LUBRICATING MEANS Clayton B. Leach, Pontiac, Mich, assignoito General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware h Original application June 17, 1954, Serial No. 437,503, now Patent No. 2,865,361, dated December 23, 1958. Divided and. this application September 24, 1956, Serial No. 611,427

Claims. (Cl. 184-6) This application is a division of application Serial No. 437,503, filed June 17, 1954, now Patent No. 2,865,361.

This invention relates to. engines and has particular relation to lubrication systems for internal combustion engines for automotive and other uses.

It is customary to lubricate conventional internal combustion engines for automotive purposes by employing forced feed lubrication systems which supply oil to the principal moving parts of the engines. In the present instance, however, the engine is not of conventional design and has many greatly improved features for' which lubrication systems as heretofore employed are considered inadequate.

The present invention provides an improved engine in which an improved lubricating system is embodied.

In the engine embodying the invention the oil pump is mounted in a unique and more accessible manner and in a position in which it is possible to remove the bearing cap for the rear main bearing of the engine without first removing the oil pump. To accomplish this end it has been found necessary to redesign the pump casing and to provide an oil pan for closing the lower part of the crankcase that is wider on one side of the engine crankshaft than the other.

The engine isalso provided with a unique means for driving the engine camshaft and the fuel pump. This means comprises a separately constructed casting and stamping which can be easily assembled on the end of the camshaft. Bifurcated jet means is provided for lubricating the two means embodied inthe drive means and oil is intermittently supplied to the jet means by an arrangement of rotating ports located at opposite ends of a passage formed in an adjacent part of the camshaft.

The engine also embodies novel valve actuating means each pivotally and independently mounted on the heads of the engine. One part of the valve actuating means is lubricated by oil under pressure continuously supplied thereto. Another part of the valve actuating means is lubricated by oil under pressure intermittently supplied thereto.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 illustrates a longitudinal sectional view through the lower part of an engine embracing the principles of the invention. The upper part of theengine is indicated in outline.

Figure 2'is a rear end elevational view of the engine disclosed by Figure 1 with parts thereof broken awa y in different planes and illustrated in cross section to better illustrate the principal features of the invention.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the engine illustratingthe camshaft and fuel pump drive and the lubricating means therefor.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional View illustrating a part of the valve operating mechanism for the engine and the lubrication means therefor.

Figure 5 is a phantomyview of the engine illustrating the lubrication system therefor in full line perspective view.

ice

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2 the engine 10 comprises a frame or block 11 having rows of cylinders 12 arranged therein at The cylinders receive reciprocating pistons 13 which are connected by connecting rods 14 to a crankshaft 16 rotatably mounted in the frame 11 in bearings 17. The bearings 17 are formed in transverse walls 18 formed throughout the length of the frame and in spaced relation to one another. The bearings 17 include bearing caps 19 secured by bolts 21 to the lower edges of the transverse walls 18. l

The engine has a camshaft 22 which is provided with journals 28 mounted in bearings 23 formed in the frame 11 directly above the crankshaft 16 and between the rows of cylinders 12. The camshaft 22 is driven by a gear 24 on the front end of the crankshaft 16. The gear 24 drives a chain 26 which in turn drives a drive gear 27 secured on the front end of the camshaft 22. The gear 27 is a cast gear secured on the reduced end of the camshaft 22 beyond the front camshaft bearing 23. Also secured on the reduced end of thecamshaft 22 and beyond the gear 27 is an eccentric cam 29 for driving a lever 31 employed in operating a fuel pump 32 secured on one side of the engine it to a side wall of the timing gear cover 33. The timing gear cover 33' also supports a water pump 34 and a fan 36, the two being driven by the crankshaft 16 through a belt and pulley drive 37. The eccentric 29 and the gear 27 are secured to one another and to the reduced end of the camshaft 22 by a nut and washer fastening means indicated at 3%. p j

The camshaft 22 drives the valve actuating mechanism 38 for operating the valves 39 which are arranged in rows in the heads 41 for closing the outer ends of the cylinders 12. The heads 41 are secured to the block. of the engine by bolts 42 which project through openings in the heads and into threaded openings extending within the upper wall of the engine block. The valve actuating mechanism 33 comprises valve lifters 43 which are slidably mounted in openings formed in the frame 11 adjacent the camshaft 22. The lifters 43 ride on'cams 4% which are formed on the camshaft 22 at intervals throughout the length thereof. The lifters 43 actuate hollow push rods 45 which project through openings in the heads 41 and within the valve actuating mechanism compartments beyond the heads 41. The compartments are closed by covers 35 secured by any suitable means to the heads 41. The push rods 45 actuate rocker arms 44 which are pivotally mounted on the heads by pivot means indicated at 46. One of the pivot means 46 is employed for each of the rocker arms 44. The pivot means may be press fitted or otherwise secured in sockets or openings formed in bosses 4'7 projecting from the upper walls of the heads 41. The ends of the rocker arms opposite the push rods 45 engage valve stems 43 for the valves 39. There are two of the valves: 39 for each cylinder 12 of the engine 10. Also there are two of the valve actuating mechanisms 38 for each cylinder of the engine, there being one of the valve actuating mechanisms 38 for the inlet valve and one for the exhaust valve for each cylinder 12 of the engine it). The springs 51 may be mounted in valve stem guides 49 which may be constructed in any suitable manner, either as separate elements-as shown or as integral parts of the heads 41. The valves 39 may be resiliently retained in closed position by valve springs 51 which are adapted to be compressed between spring retaining washers 52 and the outwardly flanged ends of spring dampeners 53. The spring dampeners project inside the springs 51 and are seated on the upper walls of the block 41 around the valve guide 49 and valve stems 48.

Oil under suitable pressure may be supplied to the lubrication systemrof the engine by a pump 54 having a pump casing 56 with an elongated upwardly projecting support means 57 formed thereon. The support means 57 is flanged at the upper end thereof at 58 and is adapted to be secured rigidly to the lower edge of the rear wall 18 of the frame 11 by screws indicated at 59. The lower end of the pump 54 is adapted to extend downwardly into the enlarged and downwardly projecting rear end 61 of an engine oil pan indicated at 62. The pump 54 is adapted to be supplied with oil by a pump screen float means 63 having an outlet conduit 64 adapted to be pivotally mounted within the pump inlet connection 66. The pump 54 is adapted to be connected directly to the lower edge of the rear wall 18 of the frame 11 at one side of the rear main bearing cap 19. It will be apparent from this construction that the main bearing cap 19 and the crankshaft 16 can be entirely removed from the engine without interfering with the oil pump 54. The oil pan 62 is secured to the lower part of the frame 11 to close the crankcase of the engine and is secured to the frame 11 in such manner that the side walls of the oil pan are spaced unequally on opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the crankshaft 16. The side wall of the oil pan 62 which is disposed at the greatest distance from the axis of rotation of the crankshaft 16 is on the side of the engine receiving the oil pump 54 to provide room for securing the oil pump to the frame at one side of the rear main bearing cap 19.

The pump 54 supplies oil under pressure to the various moving parts of the engine through an outlet passage 67 leading from the casing '56 and communicating with an oil passage 68 formed in the rear wall 18 of the frame 11. The passage 68 terminates in a side Wall of the engine and there may communicate with the interior of a cap 69 Which may be removably secured to the frame 11 by bolts indicated at 71. The cap 69 provides-a passage 72 leading upwardly along the side wall of the frame and communicating with the end of an oil passage 73 which is also formed in the rear wall 18 of the frame 11. The cap 69 may be removed if it is desired to use an oil filter and the oil filter may be connected to the side wall of the frame with the support therefor secured to the frame by employing the same openings adapted for receiving the bolts 71. The oil filter may have inlet and outlet passages communicating with the passages 68 and 73 respectively.

vertical passage 82 in the front wall 18 of the frame 11. This passage is adapted intermittently to communicate with an inlet port at the end of a rotating passage 84 which is formed in the front bearing of the camshaft 22 in such a way as to communicate with both the peripheral and end surfaces thereof. Disposed beyond the end of the front bearing 28 0f the camshaft 22 is a chamber 86 which is formed in a plate 87 secured by bolts 88 to the front wall of the frame 11. The plate 87 projects into an annular groove formed in the end of the hub of the gear 27 adjacent the end of the front bearing 28 and provides a thrust bearing for the camshaft 22.

It will be apparent that the rotation of the camshaft 22 and the passage 84 will cause the ports forming the opposite ends of the passage 84 to communicate with the passage 82 in the front wall 18 and the chamber 86 simultaneously and once during each revolution of the camshaft 22. A slot 89 is also formed in the front bushing The opposite end of the passage 73 terminates at the rear end of one of the two oil galleries indicated at 74 and 76. The oil galleries 74 and 76 are adapted to extend throughout substantially the entire length of the engine frame, in spaced relation to one another, on opposite sides of the camshaft 22 and between the valve tappets 43 and the lower ends of the cylinders 12. The rear main bearing of the crankshaft 16 and the rear bearing of the camshaft 22 are lubricated by an oil passage 77 which is formed in the rear wall of the frame, in such a way as to intersect the passage 73. The lower end of the passage 77 communicates with an oil groove 78 in the rear main bearing while the upper end thereof opens into the bearing surface of the rear camshaft hearing. The remaining main bearings of the crank-shaft 16 are lubricated by oil supplied by passages 79 which are formed in the walls 18 obliquely and downwardly from the gallery 74. The lower ends of the passages 79 communicate with grooves 81 formed peripherally around the inside surfaces of the bearing bushings. 14 are lubricated by obliquely disposed passages 83 which extend between the connecting rod bearings and the main bearings 17. The passages 79 also merge with vertically disposed passages 82 which also are formed in the walls 18. The upper ends of the passages 82 terminate in the bearing surfaces of the camshaft in all of the bearings 23 except the rear bearing for the camshaft. The ends of the passages 83 are continuously supplied with oil by the grooves 78 and 81 in the inner surfaces of the bushings for the main bearings of the crankshaft 16.

The driving means 27 and 29 for the camshaft 22 and the fuel pump 32 respectively is supplied with oil by the The bearings for the connecting rods and bearing support for the front bearing of the camshaft 22 in such manner as to extend downwardly along the front of the front wall 18 and to. terminate in a slot 91 formed immediately opposite thereto and across the lower edge of the plate 87. The rear wall of the slot 89 is curved as indicated in Figure 3 and in such manner that the lower end thereof opposite the slot 91 is directed toward the lower part of the gear 27. The upper end of the slot 89 communicates with the chamber 86 and is intermittently supplied with oil by the rotation of the passage 84 in the camshaft 22. The plate 86 also is provided with a transverse opening 92 which communicates with the upper part of the slot 89 and is directed toward the lower part of the eccentric 29 and the end of the lever 31. The gear 27 is formed to provide a plurality of openings 93 between the hub and the rim thereof so that as the gear rotates oil will be supplied through the one of the openings 93 that is directly opposed the opening 92 when oil is intermittently supplied to the chamber 86 by rotation of the passage 84. It will be apparent that the lower extremity of the slot 89 and the passage 92 form jet means for intermittently supplying oil for lubricating the timing gear 27 and timing chain 26 and the eccentric 29 and lever 31. It will be apparent that the oil intermittently supplied to the chamber 86 also will lubricate the thrust bearing formed by the plate 87 between the hub of the gear 27 and the end of the front camshaft bearing 28.

The front end of the oil gallery 76 also communicates with the lower end of the passage 79 in the front Wall 18 of the frame 11 through a passage 94 which extends obliquely upwardly from the junction between the passages 82 and 79 at the front bearing of the camshaft 16. It will be apparent that oil will circulate forwardly in the gallery 74, downwardly through the passage 79 in the front wall of the block, upwardly through the passage 94 and rearwardly through the gallery 7 6.

The valve tappets 43 are lubricated by the'oil galleries 74 and 76 through passages 96 formed in the frame 11 and through annular grooves 97 formed in the outer surfaces of the tappets. The grooves 97 communicate with the oil chambers within the tappets through suitable radial openings formed in the tappet walls. The chambers within the tappets 43 also communicate with .passages'98 formed in the push rods 45. The passages 98 terminate in openings 99 in the spherically formed upper ends of the push rods 45 which are adapted to be seated in spherically formed sockets in the ends of the rocker arms 44.

It will be apparent that oil under pressure will be continuously supplied to the tappets 43 by the galleries 74 and 76 and the oil from the tappets 74 and 76 will be continuously supplied to the sockets in the rocker arms 44 through the openings 99.

The second and the fourth bearings 28 of the camshaft 22 also are provided with angular passages 101, the opposits ends of which form ports terminating in the bearing surfaces of the camshaft. The two passages 101 are constructed in the same angular relation so that when one end of each passage is directed downwardly the opposite ends Will be directly obliquely upwardly in the same direction.

of the camshaft 22 and in such position as to register with the passages 101 in the camshaft 22 as the camshaft 22 rotates. Since the camshaft 22 rotates only onehalf as fast as the crankshaft 16 it will be apparent that the passages 102 and 103 will be supplied with oil by the passages 101 only once during each two revolutions of the crankshaft 16. If one of the passages 101 is communicating with the passage 102 it will be apparent that the other of the passages 101 will not communicate with the passage 103 until the camshaft 22 is rotated 120 in a counterclockwise direction.

once during each revolution of the camshaft 22. When the passages 101 communicate With either of the passages 102 and 103 the ports at the lower ends of the passages 101 will communicate with the oppositely disposed passages 82 which supply oil to the second and fourth bearings of the camshaft 22. The upper ends of the passages 102 and 103 communicate with cavities 104 formed around the lower ends of two of the bolts 42 which are employed in securing the heads 41 upon the block of the engine. The bolt holes for the two bolts 42 are considerably enlarged to provide passages around the bolts and the lower ends of which communicate with the cavities 104. The two bolts 42 at the upper ends thereof adjacent the heads of the bolts are provided with enlarged ends 106 which close the enlarged holes receiving the bolts to prevent the escape of oil to the upper surface of the heads. Below the enlarged ends 106 of the bolts 42 the enlarged bolt holes communicate through passages 107 with elongated passages 108 formed in the upper walls 109 of the heads 41 and extending substantially throughout the length thereof. The passages 108 are directly below the pivot means 46 for supporting the rocker arms 44 and communicating with passages 111 formed in studs 112 which form 'a part of each of the pivot means 46. The studs 112 are adapted to be secured in bosses 47 which project upwardly from the upper walls 109 of the heads 41. The upper ends of the passages 111 communicate with cavities 114 formed in hemispherical bearings 116 which are secured by nuts 117 on the upper ends of the studs 112. The hemispherical bearings engage hemispherical bearing surfaces formed in the rocker arms 44 around openings 118 through which the studs 112 project.

It will be apparent that the passages 108 are intermittently supplied with oil from the lubricating system of the engine once during each revolution of the camshaft 22 and that one of the passages 108 will be so supplied 120 ahead of the other passage 108. The oil which is so intermittently supplied to the passages 108 and the cavities 114 will be supplied to the bearing surfaces between the hemispherical bearings 116 and the rocker arms by openings indicated at 119.

I claim:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising an engine frame having a camshaft mounted in bearings therein and a fuel pump supported thereby, a gear mounted on the end of said camshaft beyond a wall of said frame through Formed inthe inside wall of each bank of cyline ders of the engine are passages 102 and 103, the lower ends of which terminate in the second and fourth bearings However, each passage 101 will communicate with one of the passages 102 and 103 which said camshaft projects and driving said camshaft,

a cam mounted on said end of said camshaft beyond said gear and driving said fuel pump, jet means associated with said wall and directed toward said gear and said cam, passage means rotatable with said camshaft and intermittently supplying oil to said jet means, and pump means operated by said engine and supplying oil to said passage means.

2. An internal combustion engine comprising an engine frame having a camshaft mounted in bearings therein and a fuel pump supported thereby, gear means and cam means mounted on said camshaft and driving said shaft and said fuel pump, a pair of angularly disposed jets associated with said frame, one of said jets being directed toward said cam means and the other toward said gear means, and a single means associated with said camshaft and supplying oil to said jets.

3. An internal combustion engine having a frame with a camshaft mounted in bearings in said frame, one of said bearings being in a wall of said frame, said camshaft having a reduced end projecting beyond said wall and said bearing, drive means mounted on said reduced end of said camshaft beyond said wall and said bearing, a passage having inlet and outlet ports and formed in said camshaft and Within said bearing and rotatable with said camshaft, means continuously supplying oil under pressure to said bearing, said oil supplying means being disposed in the path of rotation of said passage inlet port and intermittently supplying oil to said passage, jet means associated with said wall for projecting oil on said drive means for lubricating said drive means, said jet means being disposed in the path of rotation of said passage outlet port and intermittently communicating with and being supplied with oil from said passage outlet port, said passage inlet and outlet ports being disposed in the same angular relation to said supply means and said jet means and providing an intermittent supply of oil from said supply means to said jet means, said oil supplied to said jet means by said outlet port being simultaneously replaced by oil supplied by said supply means to said inlet port.

4. An internal combustion engine as defined by claim 3 and in which said drive means comprises more than one drive means and in which said jet means is provided with passages directed at each of said drive means.

5. A lubrication system for engines having an engine frame and a camshaft mounted in bearings in said frame and a fuel pump supported by said frame, drive means for said camshaft and said fuel pump and comprising lubrication means including an oil pump and a plurality of passages formed in said frame and supplying lubricating oil to the bearings of said engine, passage rneans formed in said camshaft and rotatable with said camshaft and associated with said lubrication system and intermittently supplying oil to said fuel pump and said camshaft drive means, and jet means associated with said rotatable passage means and supplying different jets of oil to said camshaft drive means and said fuel pump drive means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,554,350 Jack Sept. 22, 1925 2,039,942 Treiber May 5, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 662,172 Great Britain Dec. 5, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES Product Engineering, pp. 89, 90, January 1949. 

